The William Darcy Account
by TheRoaringDragon
Summary: LBD - When Lizzie detailed her life in the Diaries, she had a tendency to see things from a prejudiced point of view. Now see the story told through another's eyes: the eyes of a prideful Mr. Darcy, and how he came to learn, and love (but not exactly in that order).
1. His Name is William Darcy

It was a truth universally acknowledged at Pemberley Digital that the current CEO, William Darcy, was in dire need of a vacation.

He knew everyone thought he was working himself too hard again. Gigi made that perfectly clear this morning.

"God, William, you look terrible!" A quick check in a mirror proved her to be right. Dark semi-circles formed under his eyes from a lack of sleep. His dark hair, normally perfectly neat and tidy for work, was tousled, as if he had just woken up (which wasn't so far off from the truth), and his shirt was wrinkled. His tie was left askew in his rush to get to work, and William honestly couldn't remember if he put on both socks this morning, or just one.

William sat behind his desk. He signed into the computer on the side and the light blue Pemberley Digital logo flashed on his screen as it turned on. His cell rang while the computer warmed up.

"Bing, why are you calling me at work?" William heard a soft 'tut' on the other side of the line.

"Hey, Darcy! We haven't talked for a while. Can't a friend call for a chat?" William frowned.

"I've told you before not to call me while I'm at work." He heard his office door opening and saw Gigi walk in. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity when she saw he was on the phone. He mouthed 'Bing,' to her, and she nodded in understanding.

"Darcy, it's way too early for work to start." Darcy looked up at the clock on his wall. Bing was right, he had gotten to work early today. He chose not to comment.

"What do you want, Bing?"

"I called to say that everything's done! Caroline and I are all ready to move in to Netherfield!" Gigi took this moment to stand next to him, close enough to hear the conversation. He shot her an annoyed squint. She didn't move.

"Great. Why did you call to tell me now?" he asked.

"Well, I figured since you haven't returned my calls, you're too busy working again-" Darcy scoffed.

"No, I'm not," he said. Bing ignored his protest and kept talking.

"-why not come spend some time at Netherfield?" This wasn't what he had expected.

"In your new house?"

"Yeah, we've got plenty of room. It's almost too much for just me and Caroline." He opened his mouth to decline when he felt his phone slip from grasp.

"Hi, Bing! William would _love _to go!" Gigi moved out of his reach before he could grab his cell back.

"Oh, hi Gigi! Great! We'll come by and get him tomorrow!" She hung up the phone and tossed it back to him. He gave her an exasperated look.

"Gigi, what did you do?" She smiled.

"Taking a break will be good for you! You've been working too much lately." He started to call Bing back, when she took the phone out of his hands again.

"Gigi-"

"No, William! You need this! Come on trust me on this, do it for your _favorite_ little sister!" She stared at him imploringly, put a small pout on her lips, and gave him the same puppy-eyed stare that she used when they were kids. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're not a child anymore, Gigi. That won't work on me now. Besides, you're my _only _little sister," he said.

"All the more reason to listen to me!" She replaced her pout with a grin. He thought about it for a moment, but eventually, he gave in. He couldn't say no to his little sister.

"Fine," he relented.

She grinned, clapping her hands together in joy. "Yes! Don't worry, big bro, I'll make sure that everything is in tip-top shape until you get back!"

He tried to point out that it wasn't her job to do that, but Gigi was already out the door in a flurry. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his computer.

Oh well. Maybe a vacation wouldn't be as bad as he thought.


	2. A Not So Great Start

So far, this vacation was turning out to be terrible, Darcy thought. That morning, he got ready, made sure that all of his items were packed and that he was ready to go. His laptop and cell phone were charged for the journey over, and his luggage was neat and organized before relaxing on the living room couch. Gigi already left the house for work, letting him know again that she would personally make sure everything would be perfectly in order when he got back. He relaxed with a book on his sofa until Bing was supposed to arrive.

What Bing hadn't mentioned, was the fact that his sister, Caroline, who would be in the car.

Caroline Lee was exactly the type of woman that he knew that some members of his family expected him to settle down with: a tall, dark haired woman, around his height, with tan skin and pearly white teeth. She had a slim build, with curves that further accentuated her body. There was no doubt that she was an attractive woman, and she seemed to know this as well, always wearing clothes to catch the attention of innocent passersby. She came from an elite family, with her brother studying to become a doctor, just like their father. Caroline was well accomplished in different athletics, and knew exactly how to enjoy "cultured" forms of the arts. What turned her off to him, however, had nothing to do with her features.

William learned quickly exactly why he didn't return her feelings. She had a very shallow personality that was easy for him to see through, always quick to put others down in order to try impressing him. Every chance she got, she tried many things to gain his attention: body language, always feigning interest in his work, even going as far as to pretend she was interested in his sister's life as well.

Gigi was not impressed. Frankly, neither was he. Women had tried these tactics before in the past to garner his attention. It didn't work then, and Darcy knew it most certainly wouldn't work now, with Caroline.

It made sense that she would be making the trip there with him, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

He'd loaded his luggage into the car and just sat in the back seat when he felt someone press up close to his left side.

"Why hello, Darcy! It was so great of you to join us in the move!" Caroline gave him a sparkling smile. She stared at him with wide, dark eyes. It unnerved him; not that he would admit it.

"I'm only going to stay with you for a short while," he replied. "I have too much work at the office."

"Bing's already at the house, making sure everything's in place and ready, so it'll just be us two on the way," Her pleased grin quickly replaced itself with a pout. "Bing told me that Gigi said you were going to stay for a while. She and Fitz have things covered at Pemberley."

Darcy ground his teeth together. "Oh, did she?" She leered at him.

"Oh yes," Caroline said. "This will be fantastic! Just you and me, in our big, lonely house!" She smiled again.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" He asked.

She scrambled to correct herself. "Oh and Bing too, of course. But really, Darcy, once you see Netherfield, you won't ever want to leave!" Darcy seriously doubted that, but Caroline switched topics before he could say anything, effectively ending the subject. He sighed, forced to listen to Caroline blather on and on about their new house and all of its amenities.

That was how Darcy managed to find himself on a plane to the nearest airport to Netherfield estate. Caroline was still prattling on about their new home, and how he'd love it there. She didn't take the hint that he wasn't interested. She never took any of his other hints either. After about an hour, Darcy got a text from Bing, saying that he needed to stay behind for a bit, and that he hoped he didn't mind making the flight with just Caroline. He glared at his phone before putting it on airplane mode.

It was going to be a _long _trip.


	3. Bing Lee Interlude

He met Bing Lee in school; they shared a room all though college. It was his first year at university; as a freshman, he wasn't familiar with anyone. Darcy knew that he was entitled to be there. He'd worked hard all throughout boarding school, getting perfect grades and being active in sports and other athletics, and now, Darcy was determined to keep it up at Harvard.

His first impression of Bing was that he was a pushover.

In a way, William was correct. Over the years, Bing proved himself to be selfless, always giving help to others when he could. Other people in their dorm learned that too, and would ask for answers or notes from him all of the time. Bing never seemed to mind. He always helped others with a smile on his face, and became one of the most well-liked people on campus.

Darcy, however, found himself in as opposite of a position as he could get. His peers saw his taciturn manner as a way of being rude, of making everyone else leave him alone. They whispered behind his back: about his fortune, his parents, and his "stone cold exterior", as they called it. He hated to admit it, but he was nervous. He didn't know anyone there, and the only people with whom he was actually comfortable speaking to weren't available. Gigi was at home, still finishing high school. His parents weren't around for him to ask for advice anymore. Fitz was at a different college closer to home. Wickham – well, after all of the gambling debts that he accumulated, Darcy didn't think that considering him would be the best idea.

So that left his new roommate: Bing Lee. It began awkwardly, like most of his interactions with others. After a while, he and Bing grew to be a more comfortable with him, getting used to the awkward silences. To be honest, after that first year Darcy expected Bing to switch roommates, like most of the others in their year did. Bing however, chose to stick with him.

In the end, there were two events that cemented Darcy and Bing as lifelong friends.

The first happened on a cold winter's day in January of their sophomore year. Most students were back from winter break, yet it felt like the holiday season was still rolling on. Darcy needed caffeine, badly. He'd been up all night studying for a test, and today he could barely keep his eyes open. He bought his cup of coffee – dark, with a light amount of crème and sugar – and walked back to the dorm he and Bing shared.

Right when William opened the door to his room, he noticed something was off. There was an ample amount of tension in the room. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was coming from his roommate.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm getting my work done. I've started those anatomy classes," Bing said into his cell phone. "Yes. I'm focusing on my studies."

Bing's mouth was pulled into a thin line. It was strange for him not to be smiling, Darcy thought. He paced back and forth around the room. Darcy put his book bag down by his desk, and carefully sat in the chair. He watched with interest as Bing continued to pace the room, not realizing that he had entered.

"No, I haven't done that yet…Yeah, I know, I'll do it. No, I don't know. I'll show her around later. Don't – no, it's okay. I'll make sure Caroline gets a full tour and all. Okay. Yes. Right. I'll do that. Bye." He hung up the phone and sank down into his bed. The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Tough parents?" he asked. Bing snapped his head up in disbelief. Darcy was surprised too.

"Uh, yeah," said Bing. His face broke out into a bitter smile, and Darcy knew that he had opened the floodgates. "My dad is weird like that. One minute he wants me to be the accomplished son, a big shot doctor, saving people's lives. The next minute, he's disappointed in me for not being good enough, for being too nice, thinking of others too much, and not thinking of myself enough. But I don't think I can do that: stop thinking of others. I just – I don't know if I can be the person Dad wants me to be." He ran his hands through his hair. "Mom doesn't do it, push me, that is, but she doesn't stop Dad from doing it. She just goes along with whatever he says."

Darcy didn't know what compelled him to ask about his roommate's parents. He also didn't understand what compelled him to thrust his drink into his friend's face. Bing quickly shook his head.

"No, I'm – "

"Take it," He insisted. Bing sighed, and grasping the cup with a "thanks".

There was a long, awkward silence. Bing took small sips from his drink. Darcy thought over his words delicately before speaking.

"Maybe," he started, "you don't need to be the man your father wants you to be." He tried to keep the words flowing. He knew that if he stopped talking, he'd lose his courage and clam up.

"You're already doing well as you are. I don't see why that needs to change; or why you need to change anyways." Bing's eyes were wide. William's face burned. He shouldn't have said that; he really hoped that he didn't just cross some kind of line. He didn't want to upset him more than he already was. To his surprise, Bing didn't look upset at all. In fact, he grinned. This one didn't have a single trace of bitterness in it.

"Thanks, Darcy," he said. "I needed to hear that." He stood up and stretched. "I owe you one." Darcy didn't know what exactly he had done, or what Bing meant by that, but he hoped that it was something good.

From then on, Bing was a lot more open with him, inviting him to parties and different gatherings. Darcy usually declined. Every once in a while though, he would help Bing study for his exams, and Bing would sometimes bring him back something from a coffee run. They had a good relationship between them.

Bing decided that after that little talk, Darcy was a friend. Darcy also thought they were starting to become friends. However, it wasn't until years later that he really began to think himself a close friend of Bing Lee.


End file.
